Towards a Framework for Supporting User Satisfaction of Conversational Agents according to the Usability Norm DIN EN ISO 9241-11

The acceptance and use of conversational user interfaces (CUIs) which are for example used in Conversational Agents (CAs) such as Alexa and Siri are crucially dependent on their usability—which is often lacking in practice according to user reviews. Referring to the usability norm DIN EN ISO 9241-11, a usable product, system or service can be used to achieve specified goals with high levels of effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction. However, in the case of conversational agents, the bidirectional interaction experience differs from the use of other input devices. We are proposing a conceptual framework for evaluating the design of CAs with regard to the interaction principles as per DIN EN ISO 9241-110. To increase the level of satisfaction in particular, we focus on the new principle of user engagement in order to ensure trust and welfare and specifically self-determination to ensure the success and positive user experience of CUIs

Engineering intelligent environments: preliminary findings of a systematic review

Intelligent environments are complex systems that may require a diverse set of hardware devices, software libraries, networking and human computer interactions. New tools and techniques that can facilitate the engineering of such systems are thus critical. However, given the size and heterogeneity of the literature and in the light of, to our knowledge, there being only informal surveys restricted to specific issues have been conducted, we have seen the need to organise and synthesise the existent research corpus to obtain a clear idea on the main approaches that have been utilised for the development of IEs. To address this research gap, this systematic literature review was carried out. This paper presents the review’s preliminary findings that are expected to provide avenues for further research in this area. We find that there are different approaches for developing IEs and the development cycle consists of several phases. However, not all phases have received equal consideration. An evaluation framework which could offer guidance on the choice of the most suitable techniques per phase should also be the target of research efforts

Creating Environmental Awareness using an Eco-Feedback Application at a Higher Education Institution

Providing environmental education and creating environmental awareness assists future generations to conserve, preserve and sustain the environment. Organisations are supporting environmental awareness education efforts and universities are increasingly being required to exercise sound environmental behaviour and educate all stakeholders on their responsibility of being aware of their environmental impact. Gamification and eco-feedback applications in previous studies have been used to provide feedback on an individual’sbehaviour with the goal of creating environmental awareness. Students are generally not provided with environmental information regarding their use of electricity, water and waste management whilst on campus. In this exploratory study, an eco-feedback application was developed and used to create environmental awareness amongst postgraduate students at the Nelson Mandela University and the functionality of the eco-feedback application was evaluated. The results indicated that participants became more aware of their environmental impact after being exposed to an eco-feedback application. The functionality provided by the eco-feedback application, to assist in creating environmental awareness within an academic institution, proved to be useful

Citizen Involvement in Service Co-creation in Urban Living Labs

Urban Living Lab (ULL) is a living lab in which citizens and companies collaborate to create services for solving problems in a city or region. In ULLs, a variety of citizens participate in a long-term co-creation process including design activities such as concept creation, development, and testing. Unfortunately, few studies have provided useful knowledge about or insights into how to effectively involve citizens with diverse characteristics in such co-creation processes. In this paper, we present a case study illustrating how to involve various citizens in the long-term co-creative design process in ULLs. In this study, we first analyze our ULL project and clarify the various roles that citizens may perform in the co-creation process. Then, on the basis of the analysis results as well as our hands-on experiences, we provide key insights into obtaining effective citizen involvement in ULLs, which should be helpful to other practitioners and researchers

Drivers and Barriers to the Adoption of Smart Home Energy Management Systems – Users’ Perspective

Smart home energy management system (SHEMS) is a technology, through which households can decrease and manage energy consumption and avoid demand peaks. For a significant sustainable impact, SHEMS should be adopted on a large scale. Based on semi-structured interviews with three user groups (new, prospective and experienced users) from 28 households we identify drivers and barriers to the adoption of SHEMS. The key drivers to adopt SHEMS are saving energy for economic and environmental reasons, increased comfort of living, safety and curiosity. Yet, there is lack of knowledge on SHEMS and how it relates to the larger energy system and use of renewable energy. Price of SHEMS and estimated low ROI, too complicated systems, and retrofitting problems also slow down the adoption. The results inform Information Systems research on sustainable and smart home technologies, including implications on the design of future home energy management technologies and policy planning